Heat-regulator for incubators



(N0Mo dg1.)

I W. P. SHEPARD.

. HEAT REGULATOR FOR INOUBATORS. No. 412,675. Patented Oct. 8, 1889.

I {UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM PENNSHEPARD, OF FALL RIVER, MASSACHUSETTS.

H EAT-"REG U LATOR FOR INCU BATO RS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 412,675, dated October 8, 1889. Application filed May 13, 1889. Serial No. 310,555. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM PENN SHEP- tain new and useful Improvements in Heat- Regulators for Incubators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to they accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in heat-regulators for incubators; and it consists in, first, an open-ended bent tube, in which a suitable quantity of mercury is placed, a flexible connection with the air-chamber placed in the incubator, and a mechanism connected to the tube for turning on or shutting off the flame of the lamp; second, the combination of a flexible connection which extends from the air-chamber in the incubator, with a bent tube containing a suitable quantity of mercury, an adjustable Weight placed upon the tube, and a mechanism for controlling the flame of the lamp, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The object of my invention is to control the heat in an incubator by means of mercury, which is placed in a bent tubemounted upon suitable journals or bearings, so as to have a turning movement, and which movement of the tube, caused by the pressure of the heated air or external atmosphere against the mercury placed therein, is made to regulate the flame of the lamp.

The accompanying drawing represents a regulator which embodies my invention.

Placed in the frame of the incubator below the tank is an air-chamber A, as fully shown and described in Patent No. 394,886, heretofore grantedto me, and extending from one end of this chamber is the metallic tube B, which is provided with a coupling 0 at its outer end. To this coupling is attached a small stop-cock D, for controlling the pressure of the air in the air-chamber. Connected to the coupling C is a flexible tube F, which is connected at its lower end, by means of a suitable nipple G, with the bent or curved tube H, which is open at its opposite end from the per end.

nipple, and to which is secured a suitable cross-piece I, to which are secured bearings or journals, by which the tube H is supported, and upon which the tube has a partially turning or revolving motion. Connected to one of these journals or bearings J is a crank L, and connected to the outer end of this crank is a connecting-rod N, which may be provided with adjusting devices of any kind at its up- To the lower 'end of this rod N is connected a crank O upon'the shaft P, which is connected with the lamp and regulates the size of the flame in any suitable manner.

Placed in the tube H, which is open at one end, is a suitable quantity of mercury, which is acted upon at one end by the heated air which passes from th eair-chamber A through the tubes B F, and at the other end by the outside atmosphere. Placed upon the lower portion of this tube His a counter-balance Q, which is adjustable back and forth, so as'to regulate the degree at which the heated air shall increase or decrease the flame of the lamp. When the heated air in the chamber A reaches a certain point, it expands, and this expanded air, acting through the tubes B F upon the inner end of the body of mercury, forces the mercury toward the opposite end of the tube, and as the mercury moves the tube turns upon its journals sufficiently to operate the mechanism which controls the flame of the lamp, and thus causes the flame to be decreased. When the heat in the egg-chamber falls to a certain degree, the heated air contracts in the chamber A, and the pressure of the heated air is removed from the inner end of the body of mercury when the bent tube 11 is returned to position by the counter-balance and the mercury in the tube, so as to cause the mechanism connected thereto to increase the size of the flame of the lamp. The tube F is so flexible that it offers very little resistance to the movement of the bent tube H in any of its movements. The mercury in the tube being so much farther from the center of the circle than the end of the crank, avery slight pressure of air in the chamberA will move the crank-rod with considerable force. Any change of atmosphere outside of the incubator will cause the regulator to move before any chan gein the atmosphereoccursin the egg- ICO chamber, thus anticipating any change in the egg-chamber. The counter-balance Q is placed on the bent tube, so that if the heat should be running a degree too high or too low the counter-balance is moved upon the tube, so as to counteract this defect without the necessity of changing the wick of the lamp.

Heretofore a stationary chamber containing mercury has been placed in a tank of water to which heat is applied, and the mercury forced from the chamber into a pivoted rod which operates the flame-regulator, and this I disclaim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In an incubator, the combination of an air-chamber placed in the incubator, a connecting-tube, a partially-rotating curved tube containing a body of mercury, and a mechanism operated by the movement of the tube for controlling the flame of the lamp, substantially as shown.

2. The combination of an air chamber placed in the incubator, at suitable connectingtube, a bent pipe which is open at one end and provided'wit-h suitable journals or bearings, a body of mercury placed in the bent pipe, a counter-balance placed upon the pipe,

and an operating mechanism connected to the pipe for controlling the flame of the lamp, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM PENN SHEPARD.

WVitnesses:

THOMAS W. FULLER, JULIUS E. FULLER. 

